The House You're Building

        Orient  John 15:1-17 Christ continues his teaching to the disciples before His arrest as they walk from the Upper Room to the Garden of Gethsemane.  In this well-known section, Jesus uses an analogy from horticulture to explain the benefits to staying close to God.  He returns to previous themes connecting love for Him with obedience to Him.     Introduction A funny thing to ask people about is household chores.  Some people love laundry while others hate it.  I personally would rather clean a toilet than mop the floor.  There is really no apparent rhyme or reason to placing our weekly chores on a scale of enjoyment.  For me, one of my least favorite responsibilities is yard work.  Ironically, I live on 5 acres and the previous owners had spent lots of time curating a meticulous landscape surrounding the house.  Though a beauty to behold, it is a lot of work! T...

              I’ll admit it, I am in a funk.  I’ve been stuck at home for the past few days unexpectedly.  Once you’ve caught up on laundry, binge watched Friends, and checked work email for the 10 th  time before 9 am what else is there to do? God was calling me to spend some time with Him.  I do my daily study time but lately it’s felt a bit clinical.  I’ve been checking it off the list and renewing my mind but my heart has not been fully involved.    Add to that I’ve been coping with stress a bit differently.  Eating less, sleeping more, isolating myself from my friends, avoiding making plans for vacations, almost scared of having anything tangible to hope in.  I’m basically living in a world of indifference, where I move from irritability to frustration to anger in a relentless cycle.  I guess trying to numb myself isn’t working very well.    So...